Texas company creates bomb-proof panel in wake of Boston explosions

Bravo Zulu Services claims new panel can reduce flying shrapnel, pressure wave

SAN ANTONIO – In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, organizers of large events are exploring ways to keep participants and spectators safe and a Houston based company say they have a way to do it.

Bravo Zulu Services Incorporated recreated the Boston explosion and believe their products can be the difference between life and death.

"The use of blasts as a weapon, the use of explosive attacks is only on the rise," said Jason Miller, VP of Bravo Zulu Services.

Miller's company saw a need for protection and their answer was a bomb-proof panel they call the 1500-SA.

Miller says the panel is designed to protect against flying shrapnel and reduce the pressure wave. "It is a wave of a massive change in a pressure differential from one spot in space to another."  

The results of the pressure wave and shrapnel can be devastating, and it's what Miller says caused several injuries in Boston.

"Destroys you internally, it can shake up your organs. The most common thing that people are becoming familiar with especially in the military is traumatic brain injury," Miller said.

Bravo Zulu has posted videos on their website that show a wave slamming into the wall, and the bomb basically stopped in its tracks.

Miller said if these panels were in place in Boston, they might have made a difference. But they are currently too expensive to line the streets with.

Miller said if they were to sell more, the costs would come down. "You create an economy of scale effect that makes thing more affordable over time," Miller said.


About the Author:

RJ Marquez is the traffic anchor/reporter for KSAT’s Good Morning San Antonio. He also fills in as a news anchor and has covered stories from breaking news and Fiesta to Spurs championships and high school sports. RJ started at KSAT in 2010. He is proud to serve our viewers and be a part of the culture and community that makes San Antonio great.